


Where Flowers Bloom, So Does Hope

by DreamingKate



Category: Glee
Genre: Blaine Anderson Big Bang, F/F, God!Kurt, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 22:46:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5843890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingKate/pseuds/DreamingKate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A jealous god curse’s the love of Apollo’s life with a horrible kind of immortality. He will be reborn and fall back in love with him only to be snatched away before they can truly be happy. Blaine is the newest reincarnation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the tragic tale of Apollo and Hyacinth. The title is from a quote by Lady Bird Johnson and this story was betaed by my wonderful sister. Written for the Blaine Anderson Big Bang and betad by my amazing little sister Meghan!

**Prologue**

            _“You really think you can best me?” Apollo asked, tone teasing and bright. His love grinned widely, leaning slightly back on his feet until the god took his hands and pulled him closer._

_“You keep stalling,” Hyacinth laughed. “Because clearly you are afraid that a lowly mortal will beat a god at their own game.”_

_He took a long moment to look at the young man before him. His dark eyes shone with humor and intelligence. His curly hair fell into his eyes and was ruffled by the breeze. His olive skin glistened slightly from the oil Apollo had massaged in just a few minutes earlier as they lay among the soft grass._

_Every day he reminded how blessed he was that this amazing, beautiful man chose him to spend his life with._

_“Lowly mortal you are not,” Apollo pulled him into a sweet kiss and melted into his touch. They pulled apart and pressed their foreheads together. “You are much, much more.”_

_A blush spread across Hyacinth’s cheeks. “Is this an attempt to flatter me so I will not embarrass you?”_

_“You brought this upon yourself,” Apollo grabbed the sparkling gold discus from the grass below them and Hyacinth bounced on his feet like an overexcited puppy. “You better run fast.”_

_He gathered the strength he could and launched the discus into the sky. Within seconds the flash of gold vanished. Hyacinth’s body went rigid and he turned his focus up to the sky._

_The moment the gold flashed in the sky he took off running across the fields and Apollo couldn’t help but grin. Seeing how alive the younger man was made him feel things that he had never felt before._

_A slight pick up in the wind caused a stab of fear to shoot through his heart. The laughter that echoed through the hills was cold and harsh and he started sprinting to where his love had run._

_“Hyacinth!” He shouted and the young man turned just as the wind roared, shooting the discus towards him at an alarming speed._

_The cry that Hyacinth let out as the golden disk struck him in the head knocked the breath out of Apollo. The young man crumpled to the ground and he slid to his knees, gathering him in his arms._

_“No, no, no,” Apollo gasped out, tears gathering in his eyes. He gently placed a hand on Hyacinth’s head and it came back drenched in blood. “Please no.”_

_Slowly, Hyacinth turned his unfocused gaze upwards and reached up a shaky hand. “’pollo?”_

_“I’m here,” he could see the life slipping from his eyes. “I’m here my love.”_

_Hyacinth groaned and his eyes fluttered closed. “I’m dying.”_

_“No,” Apollo shook his head. He wanted desperately to bring him back with a snap of the fingers but he felt the divine magic behind the attack and knew he could never fix it. “You will live forever.”_

_With a wave of his fingers, the blood that soaked the grass lifted like petals. They wove together into delicate flowers and brushed against Hyacinth’s pale face. The young man smiled fleetingly before his eyes went blank and his body faded, leaving Apollo kneeling in a small field of flowers._

_“It doesn’t feel so good to lose,” the smooth voice made him flinch._

_“Why?” He asked brokenly._

_“Because you took what I wanted,” the wind brushed by his ears and Apollo choked on a sob. “So I returned the favor.”_

_Apollo brushed his fingers along the flower petals. “And you still will not have him.”_

_“We’ll see,” the voice laughed. “Because you’re right. He’ll live forever but not as your little garden. He’ll be reborn and I’ll bring him to whatever corner of the earth you are not in. When you find him I’ll take him again. You’ll live for eternity looking for the love you stole only to have it ripped from you.”_

_Apollo felt weak. “Let him rest. If you loved him you would not let him hurt.”_

_The wind tore at Apollo’s robes and Zephyr laughed. “If he loved me he would have never died.”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

            Blaine started awake, head pounding furiously. He blinked away the slight gathering of tears and sucked in a harsh breath.

 

            Just a dream. It was just a dream.

 

            Unconsciously, his hand drifted up to touch his head and he sagged slightly in relief when it came back without the warm wetness of blood. With a huff, he fell back against his pillows and stared up at the ceiling.

 

            What had the dream even been about? The harder Blaine tried to remember it the faster it slipped away until all that was left was his pounding headache and a disconcerting emptiness.

 

            With a groan he pushed himself out of bed and walked into the tiny bathroom, Rachel’s snores echoing from the room next to his, and grabbed the prescription bottle. He downed two pills and sipped on some water.

 

            6:34am. It was just about time to get up anyway. Blaine stretched slightly and called out Rachel’s name through the curtain division, hearing her gasping snort as she woke.

 

            “We gotta go,” he said shortly and hunted down his uniform.

 

            He pulled it on slowly, trying not to aggravate his headache any more than he had to. Rachel walked out of her room, hair a mess and eyes blinking slowly in the dim light before slamming the bathroom door shut. It took some goading and threats but she finally got ready and they hurried out of the loft.

 

            They arrived at the diner five minutes before their shift started and Blaine was still struggling to shake off the migraine that had only just begun to fade.

 

            “You look like death,” Santana said brightly as she walked up to him and Blaine narrowed his eyes.

 

            “I feel like it.”

 

            Her laugh sounded jagged and sharp to his ears and he snatched his order pad off the table. Her grin was still just as bright as ever. “Lucky for you, Gunther signed you up to sing first.”

 

            He suppressed a groan and tried to avoid the stage for as long as possible. Blaine ignored the request from his boss, choosing to fill up the sugar dispensers, until he could no longer avoid him. Gunther waved at him frantically from the counter, beady eyes narrowed as he pointed at the run down piano.

 

            Blaine took a breath, fixed a fake smile on his face, and took his seat. His fingers traced over the keys and he glanced over the sparse, quiet few people sipping coffee.

 

            The music drifted through the restaurant and he hummed softly to being. “I’m not surprised, not everything lasts, I’ve broken my heart so many times, I stopped keeping track. Talk myself in, I talk myself out, I get al worked up and then I let myself down.”

 

            The morning crowd was truly terrible but he always felt a sense of pride that he could get these half asleep people tapping their toes. A few of the rumpled, exhausted businessmen perked up slightly and he doubled his efforts.

 

            “I tried so very heard not to lose it, I came up with a million excuses, I thought, I thought of every possibility. And I know someday that I’ll all turn out, you’ll make me work so we can work to work it out, and I promise you kid, that I’ll give so much more than I get. I just haven’t met you yet,” the headache was gone by now and he felt a little bit more alive.

 

            “I might have to wait, I’ll never give up. I guess it’s half timing and the other half’s luck. Wherever you are, whenever it’s right. You come out of nowhere and into my life,” he sung brightly. “And I know that we can be so amazing, and baby your love is gonna change me. And now I can see every possibility.”

 

            At that moment Blaine shot his winning showman’s smile across the sparse crowd and then his heart stopped.

 

            A young man sat in the booth closest to the little stage. His posture was tall and proud and his blue eyes seemed almost otherworldly. His gaze caught Blaine’s eyes and he could hardly breathe.

 

            _He couldn’t believe how lucky he was that a god chose him to be with._

His fingers fumbled on the keys and he winced at the sour note. Quickly, Blaine managed to get right back to the song and shake off the weird thought that had forced its way into his head.

 

            The lackluster applause was well warranted and he blushed, knowing he could have done so much better. Blaine jumped to his feet and walked off stage, glaring at Santana who smirked.

 

            “Beautiful song,” a pure, musical voice made him stop mid step and he turned to see the stunning man who had been so focused on him while he was singing.

 

            “Thank you,” Blaine laughed lightly. “Michael Buble is better than a cup of coffee sometimes in the morning.”

 

            The man gave him a slight smile and glanced back down at the scone and notebook in front of him.

 

            “Blaine,” Rachel suddenly jumped in front of him. “Not to be hyper critical but you are aware that you botched part of the song right?”

 

            “I’m aware Rachel,” he ground out.

 

            She looked a little taken aback and her eyes skimmed over him. “What’s wrong with you?”

 

            “It’s just…I have an exam later, Gunther won’t give me more hours, and I woke up with a migraine again,” he sighed and sank down into a booth.

 

            “A…a migraine huh?” Rachel glanced behind him, looking worried. “Maybe you should take the day off.”

 

            “And how could I contribute to your insanely expensive vegan groceries then?” He grinned as she rolled her eyes.

 

            The rest of his shift dragged by painfully slowly. Most of his costumers ordered hardly anything and then didn’t tip. His frustration only rose as he tried to study between needy costumers and Gunther pointing up at the stage.

 

            “Is there anything else I can get you?” He smiled warmly at the handsome young man sitting alone in the booth. For the three hours he had been there he had only ordered a scone and a cup of coffee.

 

            “No thank you,” his voice had a lilt of a foreign accent to it. “Thank you dear, it’s been lovely.”

 

            “Have a wonderful day,” he took the check and walked to the back, opening the checkbook.

 

            A crisp one hundred dollar bill sat neatly next to the signed receipt.

 

            _You sang beautifully._

~*~

 

            “Men used to write songs about us,” Santana grumbled as she walked through the elegant hallway of the hotel. “Now they just make kissing sounds and slap our ass.”

 

            “Where did the art behind it go?” Rachel lamented and knocked on the door.

 

            “That’s why I stick to women.”

 

            The door swung open and Apollo smiled at them, waving them in. “I was wondering if you had gotten lost.”

 

            The hotel room was absolutely stunning. The walls were lined with shimmering gold and the silk curtains fluttered in the breeze. Despite it being nearly midnight and rainy in New York the window looked out into a beautiful Greek bay in the middle of the afternoon. The room crackled with power and magic and being in it made them both feel like they were finally home.

 

            “Well, you got a look at the boy you had us stalking for years,” Santana started, grabbing a fresh apple off of the table. “What do you think?”

 

            “It’s him,” Apollo smiled, looking out at the ocean. “Without a doubt.”

 

            Both Santana and Rachel shared a look. When they met Hyacinth the first time they completely understood their lord’s devotion to him. As muses they were to inspire beauty and the arts but Hyacinth did that all on his own.

 

            When he died the other muses left their devastated god until they were the only two remaining. Instead of inspiring like their sisters they traveled the world to find Hyacinth and bring Apollo to him.

 

            Their lord and master had lost that vibrancy and beauty that carried everything he did. The arts fell to the side as he tried frantically to find the man he loved only to watch him die days, weeks or months later. One particular time they had two years together before he was take again.

 

            The cycle of rebirth and death was tearing Apollo apart and it killed them.

 

            “Maybe…maybe you shouldn’t.”

 

            “Shouldn’t what?” Apollo fixed his blue stare on Rachel.

 

            “It will only end in pain,” she said softly and his icy glare melted. “You know that.”

 

            “If I give up then Zephyr will take him,” Apollo whispered. “And…and perhaps it is selfish but I need to be with him…even if it is for just a short moment.”

 

            “So, we start this all over?” Santana raised her eyebrow. “You wine and dine him until he falls in love and remembers you and then you have maybe a week, maybe more, before he dies?”

 

            The god flinched and sucked in a short breath. “What other choice do I have?”

 

            “Move on,” Rachel whispered.

 

            “I can’t,” Apollo shook his head.

 

            “It’s funny how a god is bound to a cursed mortal like a slave,” Santana burst out. “Zephyr is a minor god and has complete control over you. You used to bring the sun across the sky. You told the future and you were the god of song. Now you’re a has been who mopes around and waits for a love that will never happen.”

 

            Silence rang through the room.

 

            “You are right,” Apollo whispered. “Maybe…maybe I just hope that this time will be different. I always hope that this time I can keep him.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

The class was already almost full by the time Blaine jogged in, a cup of coffee in each hand. He saw Rachel in the front row, typing furiously on her laptop, and hurried down the steps.

 

            “Sorry, the line was long,” he sighed and placed the cup in front of her. “Plus it takes them forever to make your stupid peppermint, toffee, soy thing.”

 

            “My peppermint, half sweet latte at one hundred and twenty degrees? It’s not that hard,” she took a sip and made a face. “And you must have ordered it wrong.”

 

            “I just named three random words and that was what you got,” he rolled his eyes but smiled. “Plus it cost me fifteen bucks so it’s good enough.”

 

            Rachel grumbled to herself and tapped a bit more on her keys. The first day of classes was always stressful for her and Blaine was used to her moodiness. He took a seat next to here and took of the lid of his own cup before blowing lightly on it.

 

            “Is anyone sitting here?”

 

            Glancing up, Blaine was stunned into silence. The young man in front of him looked heartbreakingly familiar. A strange, unusual fluttering started in his chest and spread through his whole body until he felt like he was vibrating from the intensity of the emotion.

 

            “Is there?” The man asked, raising an eyebrow and Blaine felt his cheeks burn red.

 

            “Oh! No…no! Well…I guess you are,” he stuttered out and the man laughed, sitting down next to him.

 

            “Thank you,” he placed a designer bag on the desk and took a seat.

 

            The man looked so incredibly familiar that Blaine stared at him for a few moments before recognition hit him like a truck. “You’re the guy from Spotlight Diner!”

 

            A smile froze on his lips before it stretched. “That is right! Michael Buble!”

 

            “Blaine actually,” he replied, surprised by the teasing flirtiness in his voice.

 

            “Kurt,” the man extended a hand and shook his. “You really did sing beautifully. I am not at all surprised to see that you are a student here.”

 

            “That tip was very generous,” he smiled warmly, feeling his stomach flutter again as Kurt’s lips quirked up in a smile. “All I did was get you a scone and cup of coffee. Plus, I know for a fact that those scones were like two days old.”

 

            “I liked the service,” Kurt shrugged but before Blaine could respond hot coffee poured over his sleeve and into his lap. He gasped out and jumped up, the puddle of coffee pooling in his lap turned into a puddle on the floor.

 

            “Sorry,” Rachel looked up at him with wide eyes, her hand still loosely holding the dripping cup.

 

            “It’s…it’s fine,” he ground out before hurrying out of the lecture hall to the bathrooms.

 

            Rachel’s sympathetic frown continued until he walked into the hallways and she turned to Kurt with a vicious snarl.

 

            “Are you stupid?” She hissed, flailing her hand around to get the rest of the coffee off. “You can’t be here!”

 

            He raised his eyebrows and glanced around the room before turning back to her with icy eyes. “I am pretty sure that you work for me in this situation. In fact, you have been a servant of mine for thousands of years.”

 

            “Don’t pull that master, servant crap. I’m pretty sure you put me in charge of him so that _this wouldn’t happen!”_ She hissed, hair flying everywhere as she shook her head. “The longer you are here the more visible you make him.”

 

            “I just…” his eyes flicked down to the puddle on the floor. “It is torture knowing he is here and that I cannot be.”

 

            Rachel’s face softened and she sighed before slumping down in her seat. “I can’t see it happen again and again. That’s torture for me.”

 

            They both took a long look at each other before Kurt leaned back. “You have done a good job.”

 

            “I’ve done a good job these past few centuries,” she huffed.

 

            “Fine,” Kurt rolled his eyes and a faint smile rose on his lips. “You have.”

 

            They shared a short private smile before Blaine walked back in, pink cheeked and his shirt was damp. He sat down in a hurry and smoothed down the creases in his slacks.

 

            The ancient professor shuffled up to the podium and the talking instantly hushed. He began to talk, his voice more of a wheeze, and Blaine busied himself with taking notes on his laptop. Every so often he glanced over to see Kurt writing on a pad of paper with graceful strokes of the pen.

 

            “I guess I am a little old fashioned,” he shrugged a little bit when he noticed Blaine staring.

 

            “Not ancient like our professor though,” Blaine joked back and Kurt stifled a laugh. “He might even be as old as the music he talks about.”

 

            The lecture dragged on until finally the bell buzzed and the class exploded into a frenzy of getting packed up.

 

            “What class do you have next?” Blaine asked Kurt, placing his laptop into his bag. “Is it with Callahan?”

 

            “No,” Rachel broke in quickly. “I’m afraid we have different schedules.”

 

            Kurt’s smile grew strained and Blaine shrugged off his insistent hand. “What about coffee sometime?”

 

            “We have to go!” Rachel grabbed his arm and pulled harder.

 

            She might be small but Rachel was strong and after a few harsh tugs on his sweater, Blaine shot Kurt an apologetic look and followed her out of the lecture hall.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

            Kurt winced as a frantic, sharp knock rang through the room. He took his time standing up and walking to the door, knowing the storm that would be brewing right outside his door.

 

            “Are you insane?” Santana’s high-pitched voice made him roll his eyes the moment she shouldered past him. “You know that Zephyr is going to be able to find you now, right? You have stirred up the dust and he’s going to be here soon.”

 

            “Maybe…maybe not. Maybe he has gotten bored after all this time,” Kurt said meekly and Rachel followed her in, eyes hard.

 

            “You were the god of the sun,” Santana spat. “You were the god of music. You were a god! Now you’re a sad shadow of what you used to be.”

 

            “Listen here,” Kurt’s voice went low.

 

            “Oh, boo-hoo, my love died in my arms,” Santana mocked. “You aren’t even trying to fight. You could just…go with someone else and not have to deal with all of this. Not have to deal with him dying anymore.”

 

            “I cannot.”

 

            “You’re selfish!” Rachel exploded. “He could live a long, happy life but because you _want_ him he has to die. It’s been thousands of years! It’s pathetic.”

 

            Kurt flinched like he had been hit and wrapped his arms around his stomach. His gaze dropped to his feet and a sharp, pained breath made his shoulders jerk. The two girls hesitated and Rachel at least looked a little bit guilty.

 

            “You are right. I have seen him reborn hundreds of times and every time I tell myself that I am going to let him live but then I see him and…maybe I am selfish and maybe I am self absorbed but I cannot let him go,” he said softly.

 

            “He’s a good man,” Santana finally spoke up. “He’s dedicated to the arts, a dreamer…he’s just like he used to be. I don’t want to see him die again.”

 

            “And we know that he loves you, he’s always loved you but it is dangerous. It’s a death sentence.”

 

            “I-“

 

            “You know that he’ll choose you again and again,” Rachel shook her head. “Just, maybe we don’t need to repeat the cycle.”

 

            “Please,” Santana whispered.

 

            He had lived for thousands of years but now was the time he truly felt old. A weariness that he had never felt before weighted on his shoulders, making his bones feel brittle and weak.

 

            Agreeing to this would mean that he would never see Hyacinth again. He would never live for those small glimpses of a past love. Just the idea of that made him feel as if he would shatter.

 

            “I will try.”

 

~*~

 

            Blaine stared intently at the screen of his laptop as his fingers flew across the keys. The tiny battery warning was blinking in the corner, warning him of the diminishing battery life.

 

            He mumbled to himself as he wrote a few more words down and prayed that the battery life would at least last until he finished his paper. The screen went black and he stared at it in despair for a few long moments.

 

            “Now, someone that handsome shouldn’t look that upset,” a smooth voice breezed over him and Blaine raised his eyes. The man standing in front of him had dirty blond hair and piercing green eyes. He gave him a crooked smile and raised one of the coffee cups he had in his hand. “Can I get you to smile if I give you a coffee?”

 

            “Um…that would be nice,” Blaine felt a blush rise up his neck.

 

            “Is a medium drip alright?” The man took a seat and placed the paper cup in front of him. “I’m Eli by the way.”

 

            “Blaine,” he smiled and took the cup. “And that’s perfect.”

 

            _“What can I do to make you mine?” His perfectly white teeth shone as the grin stretched over his face._

The words tickled at the back of his mind as he took a sip of the coffee. Eli looked unbelievably familiar that Blaine couldn’t stop staring at him, eyes flickering across his face.

 

            “Working on something?” Eli asked kindly.

 

            “Just a paper for class,” he shrugged, one hand moving to fidget with the textbooks littering the tabletop. “Sorry, I have a habit of spreading my stuff everywhere, let me make some room for you.”

 

            Eli’s smile widened and he leaned back slightly in his chair. “You are just adorable when you are flustered. It makes me think that someone like you does not get hit on often.”

 

            He let out a short laugh, looking down at the table. “Um…I’m not used to random strangers dropping in and interrupting me while I’m working.”

 

            “One, your computer died,” Eli smirked, holding up one finger. “And two, we are on a coffee date so we are not random strangers.”

 

            For a moment he was shocked into silence before bursting into laughter. “Well, aren’t you confident?”

 

            Eli tapped their cups together.

 

            Two hours later Blaine left the coffee shop with a skip in his step and a new number in his cell phone. Eli was funny and flirty and charming. He made butterflies stir in his stomach and Blaine replayed their conversation over and over again in his head.

 

            “You look more bubbly that usual,” Santana glanced up from where she was painting her nails when he walked in. “What kind of sparkly rainbow got up your butt?”

 

            “Haha,” Blaine rolled his eyes and placed his bag on the floor. “I actually just got back from a date.”

 

            “A date,” that seemed to get her attention. “Do tell. Is it that dashing young man you sat down next to in class and locked eyes with? Our little troll doll told me all about him. Did you two skip through daisy fields and sing duets to each other?”

 

            “Do you always need to be so rude?” He snapped back and she saluted him with her nail polish brush. “It was a guy I met at a coffee shop, you know the little one near campus? He bought me coffee and was all flirty with me. We exchanged numbers and…I don’t know. I like him.”

 

            Santana’s eyes lost a little bit of their shine and her smile got a little stiff. “Anderson you dog. Who knew you had it in you? What’s the name of the guy who swept you off your dainty little feet?”

 

            “Eli,” he said and she completely lost her smile. “What?”

 

            “Nothing,” her mouth did a strange little spasm a few times. “It’s just…you don’t even know this guy and you’re acting like he is the love of you life. It just seems a little early.”

 

            Blaine leaned against the kitchen counter and stared at her with a frown. He had expected that Santana would tease him and maybe make a few uncomfortably sexual remarks before forgetting the whole conversation. Instead she looked upset and angry.

 

            “What’s your problem?” He snapped.

 

            “You don’t even know who this guy is!” She almost spat out, scowling down at a smudged nail. “He could be…crazy or evil or…treat you horribly! He’s not a good guy.”

 

            “You haven’t even met him!” Blaine let out a short laugh.

 

            “I have a gut feeling about these kind of things,” she ground out. “Kind of a sixth sense about assholes and jerks. I don’t like him.”

 

            An unfamiliar wave of anger welled up in his chest. “You know, I’m not the sad little puppy you think I am. You and Rachel have though that you _saved_ me from the moment I answered your Craigslist ad. I am an adult and I can choose to have a relationship. I don’t need your blessing or whatever. I can make this choice.”

 

            Something in her expression looked like it broke as he walked past her into his partition of the loft. It was something silly, a little disagreement, but it made him angrier than anything.

 

            He heard the click of her heels outside of the curtain and a pause. “It’s because I care about you Blaine. I don’t want you to make a decision that could get you hurt.”

 

            Somehow it felt like they had already had this conversation.

 

~*~

 

            _“Courted by two gods?” She laughed and finished the delicate braid in her hair. “You lucky thing you.”_

_“Not to sound biased but you know which one I would choose,” Melpomene said brightly._

_“Just because you serve him does not mean I have to,” he teased back and Erato laughed loudly._

_“What ever happened to my sweet little Hyacinth,” she cackled. “It just seems like yesterday that you blushed every time I made a dirty joke and now you are pitting two gods against each other for your affections? I am so proud.”_

_“I had a wonderful teacher,” he straightened his robes and noticed Melponene’s frown. “Now what has put a frown on your face?”_

_“Does it not feel wrong to you? These are gods Hyacinth. They are not the little princes or kings that you have turned away in the past. One of them is going to be hurt and…it will not end well.”_

_“That is why you are the muse of tragedy,” Euterpe made a face at her. “You are a drama queen. Hyacinth is not promising forever to any of them. He is…having fun.”_

_“Nothing is wrong with fun,” Hyacinth tossed a pillow at Melponene._

_“Something is not right about this and if something goes wrong we cannot do anything to help,” her voice softened._

_“I can make a silly little choice,” he rolled his eyes._

Blaine blinked away, the bright smile reflecting in Euterpe’s eyes remaining in his mind. Euterpe? He frowned and wondered where that name had come from. Santana had been the one smirking at him and joking with him.

 

            An ache started pounding behind his eyes and he pressed his palms into them, sucking in a deep breath.

 

            The dreams were getting worse and so were the headaches. They seemed so familiar and strange but the more he thought about them to faster they slipped away like sand.

 

            He pushed himself out of bed and padded across his room, pushing open the curtain. Santana was leaning against the counter, picking at a small Tupperware container filled with grapes. She glanced up at him and her eyes were so sad that he almost wanted to turn around and go back into the room.

 

            Instead he walked up to her and took a few grapes from the offered container. They ate them in silence before Santana finally took in a deep breath.

 

            “I’m sorry.”

 

            In the few years he had known her Santana had never been the type to apologize first. He shrugged his shoulders a little.

 

            “No, I shouldn’t have shouted,” they both quieted down when they heard Rachel snuffling from her side of the loft.

 

            “No, I’m sorry for…I’m just sorry,” her voice softened into a whisper and her brows creased. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I can’t see it happen again.”

 

            He just reached for another grape.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

 

            Eli made him feel special.

 

            He always had a big smile on his face every time Blaine walked into the room and treated him like he was something magical. He insisted on paying for all of their dates and almost acted like he was showing Blaine off.

 

            Something about that aspect felt a little off to him but some small part of him liked the attention. After being pushed around in high school and made to feel like he was nothing it felt good to feel cherished.

 

            Rachel and Santana didn’t seem at all interested in him; in fact they seemed to absolutely hate Eli. There was a strange energy that passed between them whenever Eli came over to spend time with him.

 

            “He’s using you,” Santana hissed one night after Eli had left. “He doesn’t care about you. He cares about…about how you make him look. You’re a prize.”

 

            “That’s insane!” Blaine argued back. “You don’t even know him!”

 

            “I know him, people like him, better than you think,” she crossed her arms over her chest.

 

            Eli really was everything he wanted. He was a successful journalist, funny, smart, and really seemed like he liked spending time with Blaine. He was the Disney prince Blaine had dreamed of when he was little and he truly felt swept off his feet.

 

            Then things started changing a little.

 

            Eli became possessive. He seemed tense and unhappy every time Blaine mentioned his friends and then started to get in the way of his schooling. His plans started to be pushed aside for fear of that anger flashing in Eli’s eyes.

 

            “You have to prepare for this performance,” Rachel’s voice went high and shrill as they walked into the lecture hall.

 

            “I would but I promised Eli we would go out tonight,” Blaine sighed and shot a quick smile at Kurt who was already in his usual seat.

 

            “Who is Eli?” Kurt asked innocently, taking a sip from his coffee.

 

            “His new boyfriend,” Rachel glared at him as the smile completely fell off Kurt’s face. “Who is trying to get Blaine to go out with him tonight when he has a performance exam at the end of the week.”

 

            “Ah,” Kurt looked down at his notebook.

 

            “Which is especially stupid considering you’ve been with him every day for two weeks,” she huffed.

 

            “You must really like him,” Kurt finally spoke up.

 

            “I’m not _in love_ with him or anything,” Blaine aimed a short kick at Rachel who easily dodged it. “Rachel is just possessive and doesn’t want me to ever be with anyone or enjoy me life ever.”

 

            “That’s stupid,” Rachel scowled. “And not at all what I said. I’m not the possessive crazy one here, Eli is.”

 

            Blaine rolled his eyes again and slumped down in his seat. He was tired of the judgmental comments and looks and for once just wanted them to trust that he knew what he was doing.

 

            “How far have you gotten in your rehearsing?” Kurt asked and Blaine turned his back on Rachel who bristled like a cat.

 

            “Not far…I’ve been busy,” Blaine ignored Rachel’s huff.

 

            “Well, if you do not have anything to do later I have one of the rehearsal rooms reserved for the rest of the day,” Kurt suggested. “You can come in with me and rehearse if you want. I know the rooms are in short supply.”

 

            “Short supply? They’ve been booked up for months!” Blaine felt a grin spread across his face. “You really wouldn’t mind if I came in?”

 

            “Not at all!”

 

            “So, now you want to practice,” Rachel grumbled.

 

            “Class was canceled later today and I can just get a few hours in before going out tonight,” he shrugged. “Besides Kurt was nice and you were rude.”

 

            Rachel stormed off with her usual dramatic flair after class and Blaine didn’t pay it a second thought as he followed Kurt down the halls. The other man almost exuded grace and power. He had a small, secret smile on his face as they walked and opened the door to the rehearsal room for Blaine.

 

            “So, what song are you going to do for your performance? You know this is what they look at for the Winter Showcase,” Kurt placed his bag on the floor and trailed his fingers along the ancient piano keys in the corner.

 

            “I don’t know,” Blaine shrugged. “What about you?”

 

            “I am not sure either,” he laughed. “I am just glad that I am not the only person who is procrastinating.”

 

            “To the iPod,” Blaine took out his phone and took a seat in the hard plastic chairs that lined the wall. “Start scanning through and writing options on the board.”

 

            They spent the next hour browsing through songs and playfully shooting down suggestions. Blaine thought that ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ was a little overdone and Kurt rolled his eyes at the suggestion of anything by Katy Perry.

 

            “What if…and hear me out,” Blaine raised a hand and stared at his phone. “What if we did a duet?”

 

            “A duet?” Kurt raised his eyebrows.

 

            “Yeah! I would be original and we wouldn’t have to learn the whole song so it shouldn’t take long and…I haven’t heard you sing but I have to assume you’re good if you’re here,” he shrugged. “And I found a great song that would be amazing as a duet.”

 

            Kurt was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”

 

            “Do you know ‘Candles’ by Hey Monday?” He waved his phone a little. “It would be great. It’s alternative enough to be interesting and it’s not one of the songs that is so overdone. Imagine how many people are going to do Les Miserables?”

 

            “Get the lyrics up,” Kurt patted the piano bench next to him. He tapped lightly on the piano keys as Blaine scribbled the lyrics down onto a notepad, labeling who was singing which part.

 

            “You should do the first part,” Blaine pushed the notepad to him and cued up the music.

 

            The first few notes sounded loud in the tiny room and Kurt cleared his throat a little. He leaned forward and his arm brushed against Blaine’s.

 

            “The power lines went out…”

 

            _Listening to him sing made Hyacinth feel like he was surrounded by the true definition of beauty. No other songs, sights, or feelings could even compare to the rise and fall of Apollo’s voice._

_It wasn’t even anything all that impressive. The god was singing quietly to himself as he cut up fruit and he probably didn’t even know that Hyacinth was watching him from the bed._

_“Watching me is a little disconcerting,” he said softly and Hyacinth couldn’t help but grin. Of course he knew he was awake._

_“How could I not?” He stretched a little. “This is one of the greatest ways to wake up.”_

_“Is it?” Apollo carried a plate of pears and honey to the bed._

_“Of course. Every time I hear you sing I remember how I could not have chosen any other way,” he smiled lazily. “You won me with that song.”_

_“Now, now,” Apollo rolled his eyes. “I did not. You were never a prize to win. I was never going to display you like a trophy. I could have done just what Zephyr did. I could have leveled cities or mountains but I wanted to show you what you truly meant to me. I sang to you because it is the purest form of communication and it was the only way I could say everything I wanted to say.”_

_“And soon you will be taking Aphrodite’s title as well,” he leaned forward for a kiss._

“Blaine?” An amused voice jerked Blaine out of the daze he was in. “Was it so bad that you had to escape into your own mind to avoid it?”

 

            “No! Not at all,” he stammered. “You have a beautiful voice I just…you know, never mind. I’m sorry.”

 

            They practiced and ironed out the music for a few hours before they found themselves sitting on the floor, sharing a bag of chocolate covered almonds that Kurt had pulled out, and laughing.

 

            Blaine _liked_ Kurt. He was interesting, brave and talented. There was a certain, old world feeling to him and although they had to be close to the same age he looked like he had experienced so much. When he looked at Blaine it seemed like he actually saw him, not just looked at him. The conversation had long since drifted from their assignment to any little trivial thing that popped into their head.

 

            “Crap!” Blaine hissed as he finally looked at his watch. “Crap, crap, crap. I was supposed to meet Eli fifteen minutes ago.”

 

            “Oh,” Kurt blinked up at him. “I’m sure he will understand.”

 

            “No he won’t,” Blaine scowled down at the missed messages and calls on his cell phone. “Damn it.”

           

            Kurt stared at him while he gathered up his things. “Does he respect you?”

 

            “What?” Blaine let out a short laugh before the smile fell from his face.

 

            “Does he respect you as a person? Does he care that performing is your dream? It seems like he is trying to…keep you from it,” Kurt waved his hand in the air before hesitating. “Although it is really none of my business.”

 

            “You’re right, it’s not,” Blaine snapped back and Kurt raised his eyebrows. “We’ve talked maybe…five times. We don’t just share a room and do a duet together and you suddenly give me relationship advice.”

 

            Kurt stared at him, hands twitching slightly in his lap. He leaned forward slightly like he wanted to say something but then he shrank down and nodded.

 

            “I understand.”

 

            At that Blaine grabbed his things and walked out of the room. He ignored the pull he felt to the other man staying at the piano bench. Everything felt so off. From the moment he first spoke to Kurt he felt almost like they had known each other always. Eli was perfect on paper but it didn’t feel anything like just practicing with Kurt for a few hours.

 

            Eli looked furious when Blaine jogged into the café half an hour late and it took some quick sweet-talking before he relaxed slightly in his chair. Throughout dinner Blaine remained mostly quiet while Eli rambled on and on, not even noticing that his partner seemed completely uninterested in the conversation.

 

            “Do you want to come see my final performance?” Blaine spoke up, interrupting Eli in the middle of his sentence. “I mean…it’s a silly thing but a lot of friends and family come to see it.”

 

            “Oh…” Eli frowned down at his food. “I am probably busy.”

 

            “I haven’t even told you the date,” Blaine hated how his voice shook.

 

            “Listen, I’m just not into this music crap,” Eli said around a mouthful of food. “I’m glad you like it but it’s not my thing.”

 

            Blaine stared open mouthed at Eli for a long moment. How could he just brush this off so easily? How could he sit here and pretend like he hadn’t just insulted everything Blaine loved.

 

            “We need to break up.”

 

            Eli’s entire body went stiff and he stared at his plate for a while before looking back up at him, eyes hard and angry. “Because I wont go see you sing and dance across a stage?”

 

            “Because it is my career!” He shouted back. “It’s not a stupid elementary school talent show or something. This is what I love and this is my passion and I can’t be with someone who thinks less of me for it.”

 

            “I-“

 

            “No,” Blaine stood up. “We’re done. I deserve someone who respects me and what I do.”

 

            A strong hand grabbed onto his arm and jerked him back. Eli’s eyes were blazing and his fingers dug painfully into his arm. Blaine sucked in a sharp breath and felt the first stirrings of fear in his gut.

 

            ‘You’re doing this _again_?” He snarled. “You’re choosing him again?”

 

            “Who is him?” Blaine asked shortly. “I’m choosing me.”

 

            He ripped his arm out of Eli’s grip and turned on his heel, ignoring the way people were staring at them. Eli let out an angry huff and kicked the table, scattering plates and glasses everywhere.

 

            “You’ll regret this!” He shouted after Blaine, making his shoulders tense with fear. He quickened his steps but turned once to reply.

 

            “I regret ever meeting you.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

            _“You lied to me!” Peter snarled, the wind whipping at his coat._

_“Lied to you?” The other man stepped closer, green eyes blazing. “You were supposed to choose ME. You do this time and time again!”_

_Peter took a step back, heart jumping in his chest. The humid air seemed oppressive and the lamplights flickered below them. The Thames River drifted lazily past the building they were on and they could hear the opera being let out nearby._

_He had hoped that being somewhere so public could discourage him but obviously that wasn’t the case._

_“It would have never happened. You’re a monster,” Peter raised his chin, feeling himself shiver. “So if I have done this again and again why don’t you just finish it?”_

_“You’re not the one in charge here,” the other man took a step forward, making Peter move closer to the edge._

_“No, you’re just waiting until Apollo gets here,” Peter clenched his hands into fists. “Because after all these years, all these centuries, you’re still a slave to your jealousy.”_

_“Shut up!” A wind picked up._

_“No,” Peter snarled. “I wont ever choose you or love you. You are delusional if you think that will ever change. You can do this as many time as you want but if will never happen.”_

_The man let out a short shout and a strong wind struck him in the chest. He gasped in a breath as he felt his ribs splinter and cave in and suddenly there was no solid land under him._

_He fell faster and faster. The only thought in his mind was that this time Apollo didn’t have to see him die._

_There was a flash of light._

Blaine jerked violently awake, bile burning the back of his throat. Ever since he had broken up with Eli the dreams had been more vivid and confusing. The dreams didn’t drift away anymore but clung to the corners of his mind.

 

            Everywhere he looked he saw things like scenes from a movie. He looked at Santana and saw her in a Victorian looking dress. He looked at Rachel and saw her with beads in her hair and a Vietnam protest shirt on. He looked in a mirror and saw himself in a Union army uniform.

 

            Kurt almost made him dizzy when he looked at him. Memory after memory flooded through his thoughts but none of it made sense. It was a feeling of déjà vu with no memory of ever being there.

 

            “Damn it,” he hissed as he glanced at his watch and saw that he had missed his train. His shoulders slumped and he slowed his steps, knowing that it would be another hour before another one came along. He would miss his first class but he could at least make his second.

 

            The street lights were haloed slightly from the drizzle that remained in the air from the afternoon’s rain. The streets were wet and made his feet slip slightly as he made his way down the road. Blaine ground his teeth in annoyance as he felt his phone vibrate almost constantly and he knew without even checking that it was Rachel texting him angrily.

 

            “Excuse me?” A soft, sweet voice made him jump and lightly hold a hand to his chest. A young woman stood next to him in a long white dress. She was honestly one of the most beautiful people he had ever seen with perfect curls and ice blue eyes. “I’m afraid I’m a little turned around.”

 

            “No problem, it happened to me all the time when I first got here,” he shrugged, feeling his heartbeat slow from the shock. “Where are you trying to get to?”

 

            “The train station.”

 

            “Oh perfect, I’m heading that way,” her face bloomed with a stunning smile. “You can just walk with me.”

 

            She was strangely, unnaturally quiet as they walked down the street even though Blaine tried to keep up awkward small talk. Her face didn’t even move until they passed by an alley.

 

            It all happened so quickly that he couldn’t even keep up with it. The tiny waif of a woman placed a surprisingly strong hand on his arm and shoved him hard into the alley. Blaine stumbled slightly before his feet slipped on the wet slick covering the floor.

 

            He let out a grunt and looked down. The wetness on the ground wasn’t from the evening rain but from what looked like pools of blood. To his growing horror he noticed that there were body parts strewn across the concrete including a severed head staring blankly at him a few feel away.

 

            “Oh God,” he gasped out.

 

            “You made a mistake doing what you did,” the woman followed him in, her voice distorting. “Stupid little boy.”

 

            It was like a horror movie. Her teeth lengthened into sharp, jagged points. Her blue eyes bled with red and then into black and her limbs grew horrifyingly. There was a cracking, popping noise as blood began to rain down from her back. Huge, bat-like wings stretched out from her sides and dripped as they scraped the sides of the alley.

 

            Blaine gasped another breath and scrambled backwards through the blood and gore. The creature grinned dangerously at him as it came closer and closer.

 

            “Dear boy, I liked you,” it shook its head. “You weren’t dirty and twisted like these other pigs here. Normally I’d let you go on your way but that is my duty.”

 

            Her maw opened and drool dripped from her fangs as she came even closer. Before she could close her teeth around his throat a blindingly bright beam of light blasted through the thing’s wing, leaving behind a burning hole.

 

            It shrieked in pain and slashed its claws down, catching Blaine in the chest and throat. The cuts weren’t deep but blood started welling up immediately. He scrambled backwards again and another bright light screamed towards them.

 

            “Leave monster,” a strong, powerful voice rang out and the thing hissed.

 

            “Apollo,” it sneered. “Here to save your little pet.”

 

            Blaine knew he was panicking. Blood was staining his shirt and his breath came in fast wheezes. There was another few flashes of light and another piercing shriek made him cover his ears.

 

            “You are a fool Apollo,” it snarled, wings slamming hard enough against the walls to cause little pieces of brick to fall. “He will keep coming. You are only buying time.”

 

            The wings beat a few times before it shot up into the sky, vanishing into the darkness. Blaine’s fingers weakly grabbed at his shirt and jacket as his vision blurred.

 

            A hand gently touched his shoulder and he jumped backwards, terrified. He looked up, met crystal clear blue eyes and a worried expression.

 

            “Kurt?”

 

            He passed out.

 

~*~

 

            His chest ached when he woke up, a dull pounding that felt like bruises. Blaine cracked his eyes open and pressed his hand to his chest. There was no blood and no open wounds, just an ache.

 

            A soft breeze, smelling like salt and sunshine, blew through a nearby open window. Confused, Blaine opened his eyes and found himself in a stunning room. Large doors were opened and gauzy white curtains fluttered. Beyond the curtain was brilliant blue skies and perfect water.

 

            The ocean. He was looking out at the ocean.

 

            Panicked, he looked around the room and saw Kurt standing near the window. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and dark pants and his face looked troubled. After a moment he obviously noticed that Blaine was awake and turned.

 

            _“Watching me is a little disconcerting,” he said softly and Hyacinth couldn’t help but grin. Of course he knew he was awake._

“What?’ Blaine asked faintly.

 

            “I just asked if you were alright,” Kurt a few steps closer but paused.

 

            “What’s going on?” He sat up, noticing for the first time that he was dressed in what looked like pajamas. “Where am I?”

 

            Kurt pursed his lips together. “How does your chest and throat feel?”

 

            He reached up and pressed a hand to his chest to find unblemished skin. “I’m dreaming.”

 

            “No, you are not,” Kurt turned to grab a glass of water and handed it towards him. “You must have a lot of questions.”

 

            “A lot of questions?” Blaine hated how his voice went high pitched and strained. “I was attacked by…something and rescued by a classmate who saved me with laser beams? Santana must have slipped me some kind of something yesterday.”

 

            “You are not high or mad,” Kurt laughed softly. “It is all true.”

 

            “Then what the hell is happening?”

 

            “You were attacked by a creature known as an empusa. It was sent to kill you,” Kurt stared at the floor for a moment before smiling faintly. “And I was not shooting lasers at it. This is not Star Wars. What you saw was my bow.”

 

            With a graceful spin of his wrists a small ball of light grew into a shining golden bow. It pulsed faintly with light and Blaine stared at it in shock.

 

            “There is a lot I need to tell you,” Kurt sat down in a chair nearby.

 

            “About the empanada?” Blaine felt numb.

 

            “Empusa,” Kurt grinned but his smile faded when Blaine just stared at him blankly. “And this is all going to sound completely insane but it is all true. My name is not Kurt Hummel. It is Apollo.”

 

            “Apollo?” Blaine laughed. “Like the space ship?”

 

            “Not like the space ship, like the god,” Kurt leaned forward a little. “I am a god.”

 

            “Okay,” Blaine held up his hand. “You do sing beautifully but are you honestly calling yourself a god? Like the…the god of bad relationship advice? The god of overstepping boundaries?”

 

            “More like music, healing, art and…oh yeah, the sun,” Kurt shrugged. “I know it sounds crazy.”

 

            “You fought off an enchilada-“

 

            “Empusa.”

 

            “Whatever!” Blaine snapped. “You fought that thing off with a magic bow and arrow that you made just appear? Greek gods don’t even sound all that crazy! Why the hell was it attacking me? It said something about choosing someone? Why the hell is your name Kurt Hummel? Are you like undercover or…”

 

            “I’ll answer your last question first. As time goes on and the centuries passed Apollo did not quite work anymore. I change my name so I can stay with the mortals and I was a fan of Kurt Vonnegut. I met him once or twice,” Kurt laughed but it sounded hollow.

 

            “And keep going,” Blaine waved his hand and Kurt’s face tightened.

 

            “Gods are messy. We fight and love and fight again and grudges are held for thousands of years,” Kurt began, clasping his hands together. “There was this mortal, a prince, and I fell in love with him. He was beautiful, kind, and generous. He saw music like the gift I intended it to be.

 

            Someone like that is not kept hidden for long and a god of the wind, Zephyr, noticed him too. While I…adored and respected Hyacinth he did not. He saw him as a prize. He saw Hyacinth like a pretty piece of jewelry he could show off. Hyacinth suggested that we have a contest and he would choose the winner.

 

            Zephyr’s performance was impressive. He destroyed buildings, crushed mountains and blew down forests. He showed how truly powerful and impressive the wind was. When it was my turn I was actually a little concerned.

 

            I chose not to show off brute strength or power. I chose to show him how I really felt. I sang out every feeling I had. I sang about how he was the reason I carried the sun across the sky every day or how he was the reason I wanted to fill the world with song. He chose me.

 

            We were _so happy_. We spent every moment together and I loved him so very much. Zephyr was jealous and decided to take his revenge. He…he killed Hyacinth during a peaceful afternoon out. I tried to put him to rest but Zephyr cursed him. Hyacinth would come back to life and the moment we found each other again he would only take him from he again.”

 

            Everything clicked and Blaine felt jaw drop slightly. “Me.”

 

            Kurt nodded.

 

            “No, that’s a mistake. Someone thought that I was this Hyacinth and tried to kill me,” he said in a rush. “And I’m very sorry about your loss but this was a mistake.”

 

            Kurt shank down a little on himself and sucked in a quick breath. “I sent a few of my muses to watch after him until we were sure. I am sure Blaine.”

 

            “Santana and Rachel,” he breathed, feeling an overwhelming feeling of betrayal. They were supposed to be his friends, his best friends, and they had just been sent to babysit him until he was killed.

 

            “I am sorry Blaine.”

 

            “No,” Blaine snarled, surprising himself at the intensity in his own voice. “I am not that person. I am not this poor doomed person for you and someone to fight over. I am not going to fall into your arms and wait to be murdered by someone else. I have a _life_ and it belongs to no one else but myself.”

 

            He jumped to his feet and paced slightly, heart pounding. It was Eli. It had to be Eli. He had dated him and now out of jealousy he was going to have him killed. It wasn’t fair.

 

            “Just sit down and relax.”

 

            “Where the hell are we?” Blaine shouted, spinning around to look out of the window. “None of this makes sense!”

 

            “My home is wherever I want it to be. I remember how much you loved looking out at the sea-“

 

            “Shut up!” Blaine found himself screaming and Kurt flinched. “I am not Hyacinth! I want to go home.”

 

            Kurt stood slowly and they just stared at each other before Kurt nodded. The room around them seemed to dissolve and in just seconds they were in his apartment.

 

            “Santana and Rachel will take care of you,” he said softly.

 

            “You mean Euterpe and Melpomene?” Blaine spat back. “Was anything in my life not constructed by you?”

 

            “I only want to keep you safe,” Kurt said sadly.

 

            “By creating an artificial life for me until you decided to swoop in and be with me for a short time before I had a horrible and violent death?” Blaine huffed out. “If you stay away from me then I’ll be fine right? He only wants me dead if you are with me. Just stay away.”

 

            “It does not work like that Blaine,” Kurt shook his head. “Fate will always bring us together.”

 

            “Says the man who won me in a contest.”

 

            Again, they lapsed into silence until Kurt looked up at the dim lights, tears flashing in his eyes. “I loved you and you loved me. If you want me to leave you alone I will. Just know…just know that you can call me at any time and I will be there.”

 

            “Go.”

 

            In a blink, Kurt was gone and he was left alone. A short sob escaped his mouth and he sank down onto the floor. He felt an overwhelming number of emotions that he didn’t understand. Feelings from past lives of people he had never met.

 

            The soft sobs turned into gasping cries as the memories crashed over him fully.

 

            He remembered being Hyacinth and listening to Apollo singing to him. The music was sweet and pure and made him feel like his heart was going to swell until it burst from his chest.

 

            He remembered being James and laughing along with Alexander as they stood on the deck of a ship heading to a new and unknown land across the ocean.

 

            He remembered being Peter and meeting Richard at a party in London, playing the piano with him and sharing soft kisses.

 

            He also remembered the sensation of the discus slamming into his head and his skull caving in. He remembered the sensation of a creature dragging him deep under the water until his lungs burst for want of air. He remembered falling from the roof of a building to land on a busy London street.

 

            Blaine remembered it all.

 

            His entire life was a lie. He had been born as a way to punish someone. All the struggles he had been through and all the triumphs he had experienced meant nothing.

 

            The door opened and Rachel’s voice cut off the moment she saw him on the floor. Both her and Santana just stared for a long time before she walked forward to help him up.

 

            “Don’t touch me,” he snarled through his tears.

 

            “Blaine,” Santana whispered.

 

            “You knew. You knew all along and you didn’t do anything,” he forced himself to his feet. “You knew about Eli and just said that maybe he wasn’t boyfriend material? You never thought to mention that he was a god who was bent on murdering me?”

 

            “Oh,” Rachel gasped. “He tried to kill you? Are you alright?”

 

            “Sure because everyone is watching after me,” he crossed his arms over his chest. “So even though my personal little body guards weren’t there I was fine.”

 

            Santana stood silently but Rachel tried to say something, letting out little noises as she searched for the words.

 

            “Were we ever friends?” Blaine asked weakly.

 

            “Of course idiot,” Santana sighed and it sounded so familiar that Blaine relaxed slightly. “We’ve been friends for thousands of years. You were such a good person and we were friends far before the whole stupid challenge thing. You were a good prince who cared for his people and everyone adored you.”

 

            Blaine felt himself relaxing further, all the fight sapped out of him. “Oh.”

 

            “Apollo didn’t ask us to watch you,” Rachel finally spoke up. “We asked to do it. You are our friend Blaine and we love you. We’ve given up our own lives just to make sure that you were taken care of.”

 

            “You know I don’t like this sappy stuff but you and Apollo had something special,” a soft smile spread across Santana’s face. “You loved each other more than I had ever seen. There was something powerful there and that was why he never gave up on you. We’re always trying to break the curse.”

 

            “If I go to sleep will a minotaur or a dragon eat me in my bed?” Blaine asked softly and Rachel let out a relieved laugh.

 

            “If it does you have two muses of the arts to fight it off,” she teased.

 

            “I feel so safe.”

 

            The anger still burned in him but he couldn’t deny that Rachel and Santana were his friends. They had been there during his triumphs and his low points. Perhaps their meeting was created as a way to keep tabs on him but he knew with certainty that their friendship was true.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

            Blaine stood outside of the lecture hall for a good fifteen minutes before deciding that he wasn’t going to let this change everything. He took a deep breath and walked into the room and his eyes were immediately drawn to Kurt.

 

            It was hard to believe that Kurt had told him he was a powerful god. Right now he looked like a shy, awkward teenager who had just told his crush that he loved him.

 

            And just like the mature, reasonable adult Blaine told himself he was, he sat as far away from Kurt as possible.

 

            He still had lingering feelings that he didn’t quite understand and it wasn’t until he lay awake the night before that he figured them out. He was feeling an overwhelming love. Blaine had thought he was in love before but nothing even compared to how he felt about Kurt.

 

            No.

 

            How Hyacinth felt about Kurt.

 

            Blaine grit his teeth together and pulled out his laptop, scrunching down to avoid Kurt’s sad eyes. As much as everyone seemed convinced that he was Hyacinth he knew he wasn’t.

 

            He was Blaine Anderson. He was born in Ohio, had parents and a brother, and he was going to be on Broadway. He was his own person and he was going to be fine as long as he kept telling himself that.

 

            His impending doom could be worried about later.

 

            Now he had to worry about copying down notes as the professor droned on.

 

            The moment the bell rang he jumped up and grabbed his things. As soon as he turned around Kurt was standing in front of him, blocking him from leaving the aisle.  

 

            “I have to get to class,” he said shortly.

 

            “I am so glad you came,” Kurt smiled shyly. “You have not always taken the news so well. I was afraid that you would run.”

 

            “See? Things like that make all this worse! I am not him and you can’t just look at me like I am your long lost love. I’m a different person so stop thinking that we are ever going to go back to being…ancient lovers or whatever.”

 

            “Know that this is difficult for me as well,” it was the first time Kurt had ever shown any frustration. “I have to see you _die_ over and over and it is torture. I know how you feel that your life is taken from you but you were my life and you constantly are taken.”

 

            All the anger that had been welling up in him faded and he was left feeling empty. He stared at Kurt for a good long moment before sighing. The person standing in front of him wasn’t a powerful god. He was a lonely man who had lost everything and by ignoring him Blaine was only causing him pain.

 

            “Do you want to get some coffee? I promised Rachel that I would get her some of that lemon pound cake,” Blaine nodded to the door. “She said she was feeling sick but she’s lying.”

 

            “Of course she is,” Kurt laughed, shoulders slumping in relief. “Facing conflict was never her strong suit. I would love to get coffee.”

 

            The walk to a nearby coffee shop was done in silence. It felt comfortable and Blaine tried to shake away the familiar and unfamiliar sensations.

 

            _They were walking hand in hand on the beach before Apollo pushed him slightly into the waves._

_“Do not think that just because you are a god you are immune to my revenge,” Hyacinth grinned and kicked up some of the froth from the waves at him._

_“I am so scared,” Apollo grinned, dodging more kicked foam._

“A medium drip please with cinnamon,” Kurt ordered for him and Blaine scowled.

 

            “You don’t know what I like,” he grumbled before leaning towards the barista. “Just a medium drip. No cinnamon.”

 

            A faint smile tugged at Kurt lips as he paid for the coffee. They found themselves a table in the corner and took a seat. They were quiet for a few more minutes before Kurt smiled wider.

 

            “You first had cinnamon when we lived in Miletus. One of my worshipers came back from Egypt with it and gave it to me as a gift. I was wary of eating a stick but you could not get enough,” he smiled again. “I’m sorry I assumed.”

 

            Blaine took a drink from his coffee and swallowed it with a grimace. “I hate to admit it but you’re right. This is gross.”

 

            He ignored Kurt’s laugh as he walked back up to the counter to get some cinnamon. He returned to the table to see that Kurt had entertained himself in his absence by making a tiny crane with the napkin.

 

            “It’s weird,” Blaine sighed as he sat. “I have some memories and feelings about you but it doesn’t feel like my own. I want to slide back into them because they feel so good and easy but…it’s hard to just admit that I’m an echo of someone else. I feel different. Am I?”

 

            Kurt folded his arms on top of the table. “I agree that it would be easily to just go back to what feels right but you are different.”

 

            “So now what?” Blaine asked.

 

            “I do see Hyacinth when I look at you but I see other things as well. I see your kindness, your stubbornness, your bravery and your humor,” he smiled warmly. “And after all these thousands of years I thought I was in love with him but I’m in love with all the things that made him who he was, that make you who you are. You can’t love a shell or a name. You love the person within.”

 

            “I hear you singing sometimes in my sleep,” Blaine motioned to his head. “And I remember how amazing it was. If a song can travel across all this time it clearly meant something to me.”

 

            Kurt stared at his little paper crane before tapping it lightly. The wings quivered for a moment before fluttering and its little head turned towards Blaine. It cocked its head and hopped towards him.

 

            He couldn’t help but let out a laugh. It was such a small, delicate thing and it made this whole mess seem easier. The comfort he felt with Kurt had to mean something, even if he wasn’t sure he wanted it to.

 

            They sipped at their coffee in silence for a few more minutes before Blaine let out a small sigh.

 

            “There was a field,” Blaine said slowly, the memory bleeding into his thoughts. “With flowers and these hills. It was beautiful. That was where you sang to me.”

 

            “Yes,” Kurt nodded, looking sad.

 

            “It was where I died,” Blaine rubbed a hand over the back of his head. “I remember that.”

 

            “Me too,” Kurt smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I wish I could take all those bad memories away.”

 

            Blaine looked down at the napkin bird that was currently dipping its stained beak into a little drop of coffee. He could remember all the little things Apollo did for him just to make him smile.

 

 

            “What happens now?” Blaine glanced up. “Eli…or Zephyr knows, doesn’t he?”

 

            “He does,” Kurt nodded shortly. “I doubt he would have just given up on this after this long. Plus we pissed him off.”

 

            “Ah, with the enchirito,” Blaine grinned and Kurt rolled his eyes.

 

            “Exactly,” he chuckled and tore at the paper cup. “I do not know what happens now but I want it to be your choice. If you want this to be our last meeting I will leave and you will never see me again. If you want to try something else we can do that as well. We do not have to follow any script. You, Blaine Anderson, are a person and you can choose.”

 

            Blaine stared down at his hands and at the little napkin bird. “There has to be some reason that we keep falling towards each other and it’s not because you’re constantly looking for me. I feel connected to you.”

 

            “And I you.”

 

            Blaine let out a short laugh and scrubbed his hands over his face. It still felt like his mind was a jumble and he couldn’t sort out anything. “I just want to preform on Broadway. Being the reincarnated love of an ancient god was never quite in the plan.”

 

            “I understand,” Kurt looked heartbreakingly sad and Blaine reached out to take his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

 

            “I’m not saying no. When I hear you sing….it moves me,” he smiled slightly at the hope filling Kurt’s eyes. “I don’t ever want that feeling to end”

 

            Kurt relaxed fully and covered their hands with his free one. “I can not protect you. I can try my hardest but this curse is old magic and gods can not break other god’s spells.”

 

            “We will cross that bridge when we get to it,” Blaine shrugged, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach.

 

            They tried to start slowly but things quickly progressed. As much as Blaine wanted to take it slow he was fighting against thousands of years of love and was loosing. When he looked at Kurt it felt like butterflies were going crazy in his stomach. When he heard him speak he almost felt dizzy.

 

            The number of times they had actually spent together could be counted on Blaine’s fingers but he felt as if they had known each other forever. It felt like he had been looking for Kurt forever and had finally found him.

 

            Their first kiss was shared at Blaine’s dining room table with ten tiny paper birds fluttering around them. Everything clicked in that moment and Blaine could hardly control himself as tears started running down his cheeks.

 

            What had felt like clips from movies now felt like his personal memories. He felt every emotion as strongly as he did at that time. He felt the countless times he had fallen in love with Kurt.

 

            His breath came out in gasps and he felt his body shaking violently as Kurt wrapped his arms around him, fingers tracing along his hairline comfortingly.

 

            “I am here,” he whispered as he gently rocked Blaine back and forth. “And I will not leave you.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven**

           

            “I loved you before that stupid little contest,” Blaine whispered as they lay in bed together.

 

            In the months since they first lay eyes on each other in the diner Blaine had made a decision. He was not Hyacinth and he never would be but he loved Kurt. The memories coming back to him weren’t anyone else’s but his own. He had felt those stirrings of love and he had felt the loss.

 

            At first Blaine felt like he was giving up. He felt like he was just falling back into the same old pattern. Then, he realized he didn’t have to. He was his own person and he knew he loved Kurt. Being with Kurt wasn’t surrendering; it was choosing happiness over despair.

 

            “Did you?” Kurt grinned at him, pausing as he ran his fingers along Blaine’s bare back.

 

            “Zephyr liked to give me extravagant presents. He gave me an orchard of fruit trees that never died, a ton of gold and brought winds to bring rain during a drought. My people needed the fruit and gold,” he shrugged. “Maybe that is why he is so pissed at me. It was a dick move to use him and then choose you.”

 

            “You are a literal gold digger,” Kurt laughed and Blaine buried his face in Kurt’s shoulder, shaking with laughed. “And a gold digger for a cause none the less.”

 

            He shrieked with a laugh as Blaine ran his fingers along his side. They twisted their legs together and moved closer to press their foreheads together. For a long moment they just shared breath and stared into each other’s eyes. Then Kurt kissed his nose and leaned back into the pillows.

 

            “I have to pee.” Kurt finally whispered and Blaine rolled over onto his back, eyes sparkling.

 

            “What’s the point of being an all powerful god if you are still a slave to your bladder? Are there bathrooms on Mount Olympus? Do you are the other gods make small talk while you use the urinals?” He teased as Kurt rolled his eyes and slid out of bed, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt.

 

            “Careful mortal, I could smite you into a million pieces.”

 

            “You never would,” Blaine stuck out his tongue as Kurt slipped through the curtains.

 

            He could see himself doing this for the rest of his life. He could see himself sharing lazy kisses with Kurt and waking up next to him every day.

 

            “Kurt?” He called out when he realized he had taken far too long. “Did you get lost?”

 

            When there wasn’t a reply he got up, got dressed in the pajamas that were strewn across the floor and stepped out. The moment he did his blood turned to ice and he froze completely in place.

 

            Rachel and Santana were on the couch, cooling cups of coffee and pieces of toast in front of them on the table. They were both turned towards the front door, eyes wide in fear and completely frozen.

 

            Kurt stood near the armchair, eyes icy as he made little jerks like he was trying to get out of some kind of powerful hold.

 

            “Hyacinth,” Eli’s smile was just as charming as always but was stretched a little too wide and a little too tense across his face.

 

            “Are they alright?” Blaine finally said, nodding towards the muses sitting on the couch. He could make out a faint tremble in their hands but it looked like someone had pressed the pause button on them.

 

            “I’m a god of the winds. I can make things move and I can stop them,” Eli let his eyes drift towards them, looking almost bored. “They’re fine.”

 

            “And no monsters this time?” Blaine felt his hands tremble but kept his chin up high. “You decided to do your dirty work yourself this time?”

 

            Eli laughed and walked closer to him. “I never felt bad about doing the deed myself. Are you going to make this easy or difficult? We’ve done the dance many different ways in the past.”

 

            “Are you asking if I’m going to roll over and let you kill me? Again?” He knew that this bravado wasn’t going to last. Their time had run out.

 

            “Zephyr, stop this,” Kurt finally managed to grind out, teeth clenched. “It is insane. It is cruel.”

 

            “It was cruel for him to choose you!” Eli shouted, wind screaming against the windows. “I deserve this! I earned this! I gave you everything and you went with him because he sang you a pretty song.”

 

            “I am not Hyacinth,” Blaine snarled, anger overwhelming him. “I may have his memories but I am not him. He turned you away thousands of years ago and you have been killing innocent people ever since. There are so many stories told about the gods but the only one told about you is about how petty and jealous you were.”

 

            “Stop.”

 

            “You’re a little boy and you think someone has taken your toy but I never belonged to you,” Blaine took a deep breath. “I don’t belong to anyone. I have my own past and I get to make my own future.”

 

            Eli stared at him for a long moment and Blaine got the feeling that he had never spoken back to him like that before. The wind wailed against the windows, making them shake violently.

 

            “And if you kill me now it will happen again. I’ll choose Kurt because he loves me for everything that I am,” Blaine turned to look at Kurt who was moving a little more, a sign of his anger or Eli’s weakening strength. “We will be together and you will still be a petty child who is completely alone.”

 

            A powerful gust of wind hit him hard and slammed him into the wall, causing pictures to shudder and fall to the ground with a crash. He gasped a few times and looked up as Eli walked closer to him. Pain blossomed through his shoulder blades as he pushed himself into a sitting position, legs pulled up in front of him.

 

            This was it. He was going to die. Somehow the idea was less terrifying and more infuriating. The god that stalked towards him made rage bubble in his chest. How dare someone take his happiness just because he was jealous? No matter what, he wasn’t going down without a fight.

 

            “Zephyr! Stop!” Kurt shouted, managing to take a step before Eli lifted a hand and froze him in place again. He walked closer until he was glaring down at Blaine.

 

            “I have done this messily, cleanly, quickly, and slowly,” a pressure started building against his throat and Blaine weakly reached up to fight against invisible fingers. He shook his shoulders in an attempt to fight him off but the grip only tightened. “This time I am going to do it slowly and he is going to watch.”

 

            The pressure grew until Blaine was sputtering and then his airflow was cut off completely. His legs kicked out in a panic and he tried desperately to suck in some air. His vision blurred and darkened and he could faintly hear Kurt screaming.

 

            He tried desperately to claw at his own throat, feeling beads of blood well up where his nails scratched the thin skin. Pain grew in his lungs and his head and he knew that his time was limited. With the last of his strength, he forced his eyes open and glared at Eli.

 

            He was not going to be bullied into being with someone he didn’t love. If Eli was going to kill him today he had to know that this wasn’t the end. He would find Kurt and they would be together for as much time as they could.

 

            He would never belong to Zephyr.

 

            With that thought he felt his fingers grow weaker against his throat. The struggles lessened and his eyes began to slide closed, the anguished screams from Kurt echoing in his head.

 

            Suddenly, the pressure vanished and he managed to gasp in a sharp breath. It _hurt_. Dragging a breath into his lungs burned and made him hack painfully, tears pricking at his eyes. He gasped a few more times and someone kneeled in front of him, gently holding his head up and brushing tears from his cheeks.

 

            “Blaine?” Kurt’s voice was shaky as his hand pressed against his neck carefully. “Open your eyes. Please open your eyes.”

 

            Kurt’s terrified face came into focus and as he blinked a few more times everything else became clear. The dining table was shattered into pieces and the fridge was dented badly. Eli was forcing himself to his feet with a groan of pain.

 

            A young woman stood between them, her kitten patterned skirt swaying slightly with her movements. Rachel had jumped up and was hovering nearby uncomfortably but Santana had a hand on the woman’s shoulder.

 

            “How is my little dolphin doing?” The woman asked, glancing back at them with a worried look on her face.

 

            “Alive,” Kurt smiled at him as he coughed a few more times.

 

            “Dol…phin?” Blaine choked out.

 

            “Everyone thinks that Poseidon invented them but he didn’t. He wanted to make all the big mean sea things and everyone seems to forget that I was made from the ocean too,” the woman scowled, brushing at her skirt. “So…I made dolphins because everything doesn’t have to be ugly with scary teeth. I like dolphins.”

 

            Blaine blinked up at her. Despite the fact that she had obviously just blasted Eli through the apartment she still seemed bubbly and aloof. She smiled at Santana and they locked pinkies.

 

            “You don’t remember me?” The woman’s face fell a little and she pouted.

 

            “Because you know better than to interfere in our business,” Eli spat and the woman glared at him.

 

            “She is Aphrodite,” Kurt said softly and the woman nodded with a bright smile, ponytail flying everywhere. “But now you go by…”

 

            “Brittany,” she continued. “But **not** like Brittany Spears. Like Brittany Anne Pirtle, the yellow power ranger.”

 

            “Of course,” Blaine still felt dizzy but allowed Kurt to move him into a more comfortable sitting position. He was too exhausted and in too much pain to even be confused at the moment.

 

            “And you,” Brittany turned towards Eli and in a moment went from bubbles and rainbows to pure fury. “You know all this is my job! Did you really think that I wouldn’t notice?”

 

            “You don’t notice a lot,” Eli glared and Santana stiffened, eyes flashing dangerously.

 

            “I’ll admit that I have spent the past few centuries finding a boyfriend or a girlfriend for Sir Tubbington,” Brittany narrowed her eyes. “But love is supposed to be effortless and beautiful. It’s not a competition and it isn’t something you can just take like a snow cone from a kid. Even if that snow cone is really good. Even if it is a pickle snow cone.”

 

            “He…he humiliated me!” Eli spat angrily.

 

            “He did not make you look stupid,” Kurt shouted back. “You did that all on your own.”

 

            “You are small and weak. Do you think this business is easy? It’s not,” Brittany waved a hand. “I am a genius and that is the only reason I can do all this. You are a god of the winds and the only thing you are good for is making everything around a bakery smell like bread.”

 

            Eli straightened to his full height but shrunk down slightly when he looked around the room to see everyone glaring at him. He tried to say a few words but his mouth just moved and no words came out.

 

            “It is over,” Kurt whispered. “You have no more power here.”

 

            “Go away. You don’t have any friends any more,” Brittany shook her head. “Now go before I use my superior intellect to crush you like a green skittle under my boot.”

 

            Eli’s jaw tightened and he locked eyes with Blaine for a long, long moment before vanishing. The howl of the wind outside of the apartment died instantly and they were left in total silence.

 

            Brittany let out a little shriek finally and wrapped her arms around Santana’s neck, squeezing hard. “How come you never told me that the mean…mean fart god was doing this? How come I only heard about it when my girlfriend told me? I even invited him to be a guest on Fondue for Two! I never would have done that if I knew he was hurting my friends!”

 

            Kurt brushed back Blaine’s hair with a loving smile before turning back to her. “I was cursed, I could have never told you. I…I honestly did not even think about having Santana do it.”

 

            “Well, she did me and then she told me,” she grinned at Santana and they rubbed noses. It was strange to see Santana so happy looking. It was like a gnarled alley cat turning into a purring kitten.

 

            “Oh my God, she’s crazy,” Blaine groaned out.

 

            “Don’t call her crazy, she’s not. It’s only because you just got hurt that I’m not beating you up right now,” Santana said, her voice muffled from where it was buried in Brittany’s shoulder.

 

            “Love is a…wild and random thing. Would it not make sense that the goddess of love is a little wild and random too?” Kurt looked so deliriously happy that Blaine found some energy to smile back.

 

            Kurt’s careful fingers trailed over his throat and he felt the bruises fade until he felt the pain fade completely. The past few minutes seemed like a strange blur and he wasn’t even really sure what had happened.

 

            “Is he gone?” He asked shakily and the attention of everyone in the room was turned on him. “Is he going to come back tomorrow or…or the next day? What the hell just happened?”

 

            Brittany’s face softened. “He’s not coming back.”

 

            “That’s it? You just come in and give him a talking to and now he’s gone forever? I’m perfectly safe and I can live my life?” He let out a hoarse laugh. “That makes no sense!”

 

            “We are two of the major gods, Zephyr is a minor one. He knows that with more of us than him he will not ever be able to come near you again,” Kurt was grinning, happy tears in his eyes. “We can not break the curse but he can not complete it if he is forbidden to come close to you. Also, he knows that if he angers enough of us he will be banished from Olympus forever. He will not risk the total lost of his powers.”

 

            Blaine stared at him and the adrenaline finally began to fade, leaving him shaky. When he spoke it came out meek and soft. “It’s over?”

 

            “Yeah,” Kurt nodded. “No more death and rebirth. We can finally be together. We can be together forever and I…I can make you immortal. We will be so happy. We-“

 

            Blaine surged forward and kissed him deeply. They had been spending the past few months living on borrowed time, looking over their shoulders and worrying. All of that was over now. They actually had a future to look forward to.

 

            He had a future and he would fight for it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Epilogue**

The wind caused the tall grasses to sway back and forth. The air smelled salty and sweet from the ocean. The sun warmed his skin and Blaine couldn’t stop smiling up at the sky from where he was laying.

 

            “This brings me back,” Kurt’s voice made him crack an eye and lift his sunglasses.

 

            “It’s my favorite place in the world,” Blaine patted the ground next to him. “Plus, being able to travel to Greece without the jet lag or long waits at the airport was nice.”

 

            Something strange passed over Kurt face as he sat down next to him. “I would have thought that this would be a nightmare for you.”

 

            “Why? Because I died here?” Just a year ago Blaine would have felt ridiculous saying something like that but he had quickly learned that a lot of things were possible. Especially the things that seemed ridiculous.

 

            “Well, of course,” Kurt shrugged, looking over the fields covered in bright flowers.

 

            “I’m not Hyacinth. He died that day and nothing could have saved him. He was the victim of a mad, jealous idiot and he lost his life. I’m sorry for that but I’m not him,” Blaine intertwined their fingers together. “But I have his memories and I have some parts of him in me. I grew stronger and stronger every time and if…if that is what led me to you then it was worth it. Every horrible, terrible thing that happened was worth it. I can’t look around and see only the terrible things. I want to see all the beautiful things as well.”

 

            Kurt smiled at him and kissed him softly, carding his fingers through his loose hair. With every kiss they shared there were thousands of years of love poured into them. Memories of being cherished, adored, and loved flooded through Blaine every single time.

 

            “And,” Blaine whispered against his lips. “This was where you sang to me the first time. That moment alone is worth more to me than anything. This is where you tried to create something beautiful out of something terrible.”

 

            He brushed his fingers along the blooming hyacinths surrounding them. They practically glowed in every color possible and it made Blaine’s heart swell. Kurt’s first reaction to losing him wasn’t revenge. He didn’t strike out against Zephyr or destroy anything in his grief. He grew beautiful flowers so that his death wouldn’t be remembered with pain.

 

            “It’s where we started something beautiful,” Kurt said softly. “And we’ll have the rest of eternity to continue it.”

 

            All they needed was a chance and it was what they had now.

 

            They had eternity, finally.


End file.
